Inspiration
by The SilverLight
Summary: Has Noctis finally met his match or will he break her strong will? Warning: AU and slightly OOCish!
1. Prologue

A/N: Hello! This will be my first... and last story. It's written for a very special person, my hubby ;) who has showed me much kindness and the beauty of story telling. These and many more reasons are why I love him. You _are_ and will always _be_ an inspiration! I can only hope my story can be as addictive as yours are to me :) Much love, the SilverLight

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**~~ Inspiration ~~**

Prologue

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Large wooden doors burst open.

"What is the meaning of this?" Said an angry prince with spiky midnight-blue hair. Following behind him was a blonde with a shotgun attached to his hip.

The king simply looked up towards the commotion, "I presume you have received news about the recent changes taking place."

"Must I repeat myself." The boy glared, impatiently he repeated, "What is the meaning of this?"

Disliking the tone his son was giving him, the king's face became stern. Standing from his throne, an aura of authority and fear began radiating from the elder. Shivers were running down the palace guards' backs, even the blonde shifted his position uncomfortably, but the prince remain unfazed.

"_Princes_ do not question _kings_."

Noctis rolled his eyes, the old man was going to give him another lecture. He knew his role of being a prince very well, thanks to his father's strict monitoring and excessive lectures. He was sick of it, all of it, including the whole prince thing.

"I'm not a perfect storybook prince, nor do I wish to become one, father." Noctis said behind a smirk, knowing how to get underneath his father's skin.

It had worked because the king briefly lost his composure. Cheeks flushed with anger, he bellowed, "You will do as I say."

Noctis crossed his arms triumphantly, meanwhile his companion began to look worried. The king never yells, unless... the situation was becoming more grave by the second.

With a deep breath, his father tried to recomposed himself. "If your mother was still alive today," the man paused to calm his voice, "I would have more sons who, I'm sure, will be more deserving of the crown than you." His eyes dimmed with sadness as he spoke, "Words cannot express my disappointment in you."

Noctis winced at his father's statement. It had pierced his heart, the pain and guilt already began to suffocate his body with the mention of his mother. How could he forget? The whole kingdom was sorrowfully weeping on the day he was born! What should have been the happiest moment in the kingdom quickly turned into a tragedy as his mother, the beloved Queen, had died giving birth to her first and only son, him. His eyes narrowed in frustration, unfortunately, his father was equally as good getting underneath his skin.

"Your mother was a remarkable person," he reminisced. "Creating peace in the mist of tension. Traveling courageously through unknown territories just to promote the welfare of her people, our people. If only you had one tenth of the compassion your mother had," the king glared at his son, "I wouldn't be so worried about the future of this land."

"Maybe... if I had a father instead of a King, I wouldn't be the disappointment you see today," Noctis countered bitterly, voiced colored with hatred. Of all the things he hated the most, it would be the thought of him being responsible for his beloved mother's death. He was only a baby, powerless and innocent! If only he could turn back time and not be born, his mother would still be alive and he won't be living this miserable life.

The king was silent. He wanted to continue this conversation, but there were other issues that required his attention at the moment. Walking towards his son, he put an arm on his shoulder, "You _will_ welcome the girls, they are here to stay whether you like it or not." And with that he briskly walked away, leaving the prince frozen in place.

Glaring at his father's disappearing figure, the prince threateningly whispered, "We'll see about _that_."

"Noctis, I was seriously scared for your life back there," the blonde finally spoke, coming from behind.

"Prompto, you know he won't do anything to harm me."

"Yeah, bit still... be careful."

"I will," Noctis said quietly.

A loud growl escaped the latter's stomach. Prompto embarrassedly looked at Noctis, and then both of them began laughing.

"Come on buddy, I'm starving!"

"Prompto, you always are," Noctis said teasingly as he began heading towards the kitchen. His mood seem to lightened, thanks to his silly friend.

The blonde followed him and began awkwardly saying, "So, it's really true... this year _girls_ with be enrolled in our combat school!"

Noctis nodded.

"I can't believe the King would break our tradition, combat training is supposed to be for men only! Girls don't know how to fight, they just scream!" The blonde continued.

Noctis chuckled and mumbled, "Apparently kings from the far lands don't think so." He then mischievously smirked at Prompto, "Hey you might get lucky and score a princess."

"Stop teasing, you know that they'll be all over you, prince Charming," Prompto said, playfully caressing Noctis' cheek with his index finger, pretending to be a princess.

"Who's teasing now?"

"Am I interrupting something?" A gentleman with glasses appeared from behind the kitchen door, looking amused.

"No!" Prompto shouted, while Noctis said no in a normal tone, although his cheeks were slightly pink from the ordeal.

The gentleman only huffed and smirked at the embarrassing looks the two gave him. Then, turning his attention to the prince, he asked, "How did it go with the king?"

"Not well, Ignis," Noctis said dejected, passing through and entering the lonely kitchen.

The blonde made a cutting-of-the-neck sign for Ignis behind the prince's back, signaling to stop the conversation.

"That's ok, we still have plan B," Prompto said. He began scavenging for meat.

"And what is plan B, might I ask?"

"Making them quit before the school year is finished," Noctis replied simply.

"And if that doesn't work..." Prompto began whispering, "We can make them fail their final exam."

Ignis smiled at Prompto's determination.

"And _that_ will be all the proof we need for girls to NOT be allowed to attend our combat school in the first place!" Prompto continued.

"He's very passionate about this," Ignis whispered to Noctis, while Prompto was continuing to vent about how girls should learn how to bake instead.

"He has a point, the ladies will only slow us down. It's important to keep up with our studies. Surely, you're not in favor?" Noctis whispered back.

"Actually, a little diversity is quite nice. You never know, someone's skill might surpass yours."

Noctis couldn't help but to laugh out loud.

"Thank you!" Prompto said, head peaking out from the refrigerator, "Finally someone realized the truth of the matter, it's hilarious!" The blonde started laughing on his own.

"I was actually laughing at Ignis here," Noctis said in amusement, "He thinks that a lady could beat me in combat."

"What? That's impossible! No one can beat you, believe me I've tried, and I can bet on it!"

Ignis grinned evilly as an idea popped into his mind, "_Are_ you willing to bet on it?"


	2. Anything But Regular

Chapter 2:

Anything But Regular

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It was a ordinary Sunday afternoon. The streets were busy as shopkeepers rush to set up tents for the flea market, the cooks in the basement kneading dough for lunch, and the routine silence inside the castle.

Noctis was bored!

Sitting on his throne, he had nothing else to do. Sad to say, his father had forbid him to leave until he understood and demonstrated how a prince should behave. Again, with the lectures he so despised. On top of that, no one shall enter without written permission from the king himself! Meaning… no friends to keep him company.

_What a shame,_ Noctis thought frowning, eyes wandering around the room for an escape. Finding none, he let out a sigh and closed his eyes.

Reluctantly, his mind wandered back to his mother and the previous conversation he had with the king.

'_Your mother was a remarkable person,' the king reminisced, 'creating peace in the mist of tension. Traveling courageously through unknown territories just to promote the welfare of her people, our people. If only you had one tenth of the compassion your mother had…'_

Noctis conjured an image of the serene queen.

The desire to be held in her nurturing embrace pained his heart. Oh how he wished to see her in person, to feel her love. A tear slid down his cheek as he tried hugging the image, only to realized it vanishing as soon as his arms extended.

_Clank_!

Interrupting his daydream, Noctis furrowed his brows. Immediately, he began searching for the source with killing intent. Looking down, the corners of his mouth turned upward as he picked up his mother's charm. The metal object had fallen from his pocket and onto the floor.

It was an odd little thing, circular with many short petals surrounding a golden phoenix in the center. To Noctis, it looked like a metal sunflower, not like the coin it was supposed to be. Nevertheless, it belonged to his mother and the golden phoenix was proof of it. No other animal could fit her personality better. From the stories and pictures he had heard and seen, she was fierce, passionate, and firm, yet gentle, kind, and angelic-looking.

Again, guilt was building in his stomach. _If only I could have your guidance_, he thought, _I would be a better ruler._

"Noctis."

The prince turned to the window. Was he still daydreaming? Had he imagined Prompto's voice?

"Noctis!"

There it was again!

Cautiously he crept over to the window. Looking down, Noctis saw nothing out of the ordinary. Was his father's punishment finally effective, had he lost his mind?

"Up here," Prompto said in a loud whisper.

He was hanging on what looked like to be rope, while his feet were carefully balancing off the edge of the tower.

"What are you doing?"

"Practicing ballet," Prompto relied with wit. "Now grab on."

Noctis caught the rope and did a quick tug to check its stability. It was a long way down… one slip could cost him his life and he didn't want to die in such a stupid way: falling.

Within seconds, he was climbing his way up to the top of the tower where Prompto was. Wobbling a little until he got his footing set, he stood firmly besides the blonde.

"Not bad," Prompto said, sounding impressed.

"Freedom at last," Noctis said with excitement. Turning to the blonde, Noctis had a puzzling look, "Now, how do we get back down to ground level?"

"Simple," Prompto confidentially said, letting go of the rope. Then he forcefully pushed Noctis off the edge, "We fall!"

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Prompto laughed mischievously as he used his cloak as a parachute, while gripping the screaming Noctis with his legs.

"Surprise!" Prompto giggled.

"Wait until we're on the ground," Noctis muttered deadly, glaring back. His heart was still trying to recover from the shock.

"You'll thank me later."

Safely, the two landed gently on the ground. Then the latter threw his cloak to Noctis.

"You're gonna need this to hide your face."

"Are you sure you won't be needing this more?" Noctis said, smirking.

"No, the palace guards will recognize y-Hey! For your information, my face is pretty attractive for the ladies."

Noctis only smiled, "the more the reason, we don't want to _attract_ any attention."

"You two, halt!" Yelled a soldier, who was now running towards them.

"On second thought, I'll keep this," Noctis said, swinging the cloak over his body and pulling the hood to cover his face as he broke out into a run.

"I said, halt!"

"See you at our secret hiding place," Prompto winked as he too began running in the opposite direction.

The guard began running faster, clearly frustrated. Instinct was telling him to go after the cloaked figure. Crooks usually hid their faces.

Looking back, Noctis only smirked at the challenge of being caught. He then turned toward the busy market place and began zigzagging through a variety of booths. The slow solider yelled and shoved people out of the way, but his efforts were useless as the cloaked figure was out of sight. Little did he know that the person he was searching for was actually behind him, hiding besides a bookcase with many scrolls. Throwing his arms in the air, the soldier returned to his post.

Noctis took this time to exhale deeply.

"That was a good strategy you used there," said an old man with a black Fu Manchu moustache. He grabbed a scroll by Noctis' nose.

"I did nothing wrong," Noctis said, defending himself. He lowered his hood even more, not wanting to be recognized.

"Nor did I suggest that," the man replied. Beginning to read the scroll's content, his eyes seem to smile while looking at Noctis.

"Yes this will do, a wonderful addition to my collection."

Not sure whether the elder was talking about him or the scroll, Noctis quickly slipped away and out of the shop.

Outside, the smell of baked bread with roasted chicken was teasing his stomach. In return, it protested with growls. Searching for money, he only found his mother's charm; all of his pockets were empty. Noctis let out a hopeless sigh, _this is torture!_

"Here, have some," said a young girl, pointing the freshly baked bread toward his noses. Inhaling the warm scent, Noctis' mouth watered.

"Thank you… but I don't have any money to pay you."

The girl took the bread away, "then you won't be eating."

Noctis heart plummeted. So close…

Frustrated, he went to sit down at an empty table, contemplating his options. He had three. Option one, which was looking very good at this point, was to steal the chicken without the girl knowing. Option two, was to reveal his face and order the girl to feed him. And lastly option three, was to offer to work for her and in return he'll get a chicken with freshly baked bread.

_Ha, like that will ever happen! _Noctis thought, erasing the last option.

He was about to make his move when a young lady, with unusually pink hair, had stopped him. Standing across from him, she sat down at his table.

"Are you hungry?" She said gently, noticing that his gaze was concentrated on the roasted chicken behind her. "Here we can share this." She said, offering him some of her bread.

Nocis was puzzled by her actions. Had her parents taught her _not_ to speak to strangers? Let alone, offer them food, especially the ones that purposefully hid their faces behind cloaks?

What an unusual girl, with equally unusual hair. Pale pink mixed with bits of blonde strands that shined golden in the sunlight. It was almost too beautiful to be natural, like the canvas of Lotus flowers his mother had drawn. Even her eyes were no exception to her unusual appearance, radiating a bright teal color.

"Um, thank you," Noctis said, not knowing what else to say to this stranger.

"You're very welcome," she replied smiling.

"So… what are you doing here? Obviously, um, not to sound rude, but… you're not a local."

"Oh," she laughed, "I'm here with my sister." She took a bite of bread, chewing it slowly. "She's looking at weapons."

"Weapons?" Noctis had to interrupt, why would a girl look at weapons, when there's plenty of jewelry?

"Yup, that's Lightning," the girl said smiling.

_Lightning? What an unusual name, seriously was there anything normal about this girl? _

As if she read his mind, she continued, "My name is Serah."

Waiting for him to reply, Noctis hesitated. He couldn't say his name, not that she'll know who he is, but the villagers might. "Um Prompto," he said, extending his hand in a friendly manner.

"Prompto. That's an unusual name," she thought out loud, shaking it.

Noctis hid back a smile, if only she know what he had thought of her.

"Are you not hungry, I thought I saw you frustrated when that girl took away your bread?"

_Pity? Is that what this was? _He thought, is that why she shared her bread with him? Because he had no money_… wait until you see my castle! _

"I'm sorry, if I made you feel uncomfortable. It's just… I've been in your situation and I know how it feels," Serah said, her facial expression turned to guilt.

Noctis' anger was slowly fading, _why did she feel guilty about being poor?_ Anger or maybe sadness would be a normal response, but then again she was quite unusual.

"Why the face?" Noctis said directly.

"Oh," surprised, she smiled weakly, "My sister would work really hard just so I could live comfortably."

_Ah_, now he understood clearly. Feeling pity for the poor girl, he gave back his untouched portion of the bread.

"I'm not hungry," He simply stated and stood up. Bidding her farewell, he left.

He didn't understand it at first, but somehow he felt compelled to steal the chicken and give it to her. After all these years, she was the first to show him compassion.

_Was this the feeling people experienced in mother's presence? _He questioned himself.

Searching for the girl, he discovered she had left and was heading west. Quickly, he focused back to his target, the chicken. Running out of time, he surveyed the scene thinking of a distraction he could cause. His eyes caught a rather large pouch, dangling from a fat man's belt.

_Perfect. _

Like Robin Hood, Noctis skillfully took the bag and threw it precisely into the musician's hat on the floor, effectively disappearing from the scene.

"Why thank you, good sir, for your generosity!" The musician beamed at the large pouch of gold coins spilling onto his hat.

"Huh?" The fat merchant turned around, horrified that the musician was holding his customized leather pouch, counting the gold coins inside. "Give that back! Thief!" He yelled, rushing towards him.

"You gave it to me!" The musician defended, not willing to surrender the bountiful fortune.

"Why you little weasel!" He said, throwing the first punch.

"Someone get the guards!"

"You fight like a girl!" The musician spat, punching the merchant in the stomach.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Noctis was proud at the chaos he created. Everyone was busy watching the fight, not one person noticed him walking away with a large roasted chicken and two loaves of bread.

_I'll give her three chickens tomorrow for taking this one_, Noctis thought, justifying himself.

Spotting the girl alone, he ran to catch up to the pink-haired wonder. She turned around at the sound of rushing footsteps, surprised to see the same cloaked figure, she questioned, "Prompto?"

"I'm not poor," Noctis began, "here this is for you." He shoved the food, so she wouldn't have time to reject his offer. "Go help your sister live comfortably."

Serah's face brightened. Touched by the stranger's kindness, she humbly said, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Noctis said, beginning to leave. His job was done here, _now time to find the real Prompto._

"Over there, that's my chicken that was stolen just now!" The girl pointed to their direction.

Serah looked at Noctis, confused, as three guards were quickly approaching them.

_Shit… or not_, Noctis thought. So someone had seen him, but who? He made sure no one was looking!

Noctis pulled Serah behind him, it was too late to make a run for it. _How would she keep up? _Judging by her thin frame, _not so much_. Instinctively, he positioned himself into his fighting stance.

The guards had noticed and simultaneously lower their spears. More of the palace guards appeared, positioning themselves behind them. Serah looked frightened at the spears pointed at her.

They were surrounded with nowhere to go.

Noctis raised his arm, ready to strike, when he heard a loud screech from behind him.

Looking up, he couldn't believe his eyes! There, above his head, was a transparent reddish-pink bird of some sort. Noctis was in awe as the majestic creature screeched once more, swooped down, breathing fire onto its enemy. The guards chaotically ran away from the flame, bumping into each other.

Noctis eyes widened, _a phoenix? No it can't be? I must be daydreaming!_

Serah dropped the food and made a run for it, abandon him. But Noctis didn't care, his eyes were glued to the fire bird.

Never in his life had he seen such a fierce animal, it was captivating. The creature was the size of a pony with dancing red and pink flames coming from the ends of its feathers. Its golden beak looked sharp and threatening just like its talons. Flying fast, the bird bolt passed him, into the wall, and disappeared.

Frozen in place, Noctis blinked repetitively.

_What just happened?_

He couldn't comment further because he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. His knees felt weak as they hit the ground, while his vision blurred into the darkness.

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A/N: I know this is short, next chapter would be longer I promise =) I love to read your comments so please review. Much love, The Silverlight =)


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